Not every tower will have a simulator but there is likely to be one somewhere in your area. Ask your Tower Captain or have a look at Dove’s guide. Towers with simulators might also be listed on your local ringing society’s website. If you haven’t got easy access to a simulator, you may find you have to invest a bit of time getting a session set up, but this will usually result in meeting new people and getting extra help!

A simulator session allows you to practise without disturbing the neighbours and without having a whole band of ringers to help you.  It can happen either in a tower with the bell silenced or on a dumb-bell, but whatever the set-up, the challenge is for you to ring on your own using the simulator, not just used during ‘silent practice’ mode with other ringers as part of a normal practice.

To complete this challenge, it will be necessary to enlist the support of someone who is familiar with using the simulator, getting it set up and adjusting the software. You may need to ask to join in with an existing simulator session, or set up your own.

You should be able to ring good rounds, with the computer taking on the role of the other ringers. To make the exercise more interesting, you could arrange for your ‘bell’ to include some odd struckness and test your listening skills! Depending on your ability you may also like to extend the exercise to ringing a method, perhaps the treble to Doubles or the tenor behind as the simulator rings a method on the other bells.

You can familiarise yourself with the software on a home pc or tablet well in advance of the actual session.

If it’s necessary to go up to the belfry to silence a bell make sure there is someone else with you and all the bells are down.

Whatever your target, spend plenty of time ringing rounds so you can get used to the sensation of ringing without visual prompts.

Don’t be tempted to be too ambitious to start off with! It is much easier to start with an easy goal, such as ringing the tenor behind on 5 or 6, than going straight into Bob Doubles!

Have a look at your striking score afterwards and see if you can improve it.

If you can, have a go with moving (virtual) ringers.

 

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